Sunday, November 16, 2008

Two at the Point

Peace. What peace to sit with your spouse in the late afternoon after many years of marriage. Just sit and fish.......together......in the cool of the evening on a little jutty at the lake. No computer, no internet, no cell phone, no doorbell...........just sitting together in the cool of the evening - together.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Watercolor for the Sketchbook & Journal

I have just completed my first online class. We had this wonderful instructor, Jessica Wesolek. I have always loved to paint, watercolor, etc., but always felt self-conscious about sketching or drawing. If you are interested in learning (again) the very basic techniques we've all forgotten since childhood, I urge to you to visit her website, http://www.cre8it.com/. I will be posting a few of my drawings, watercolor paintings for you to see below.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Echinacea

Watercolor using Pitt Pen and pan watercolors. Free-form drawing.


Lily

Watercolor using Rubber Stamped image and Stazon ink.

Floral Bouquet

Watercolor Pencils on free-form drawing

Showy Evening Primrose

Watercolor with chalk background


Monday, October 27, 2008

Trailing Monarch


What a great surprise this morning to find a Monarch butterfly taking nectar from the giant Cosmos in bloom in my garden. It's a little late for the Monarchs to be in this area, so she must have had businesss that kept her from joining the majority of her kin a little earlier this fall on their way to Mexico.

Little Blue Cruiser



It's always exciting to get your first car - at least the one you choose and will have to pay for. Chloe has presented to herself this 2003 Electric Blue PT Cruiser.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Buddies


Mason and Granddaddy enjoy a walk across the park.
You can take a lot of photos, and every now and then you get a really great one for the memory book. This is one of them.

Shared Birthdate


Happy Birthday to us!!
Mason & his Grandad share the same birthdate.
Now, how great is that???
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Monday, October 20, 2008

Pear on Pocket Apron

This fun apron has a stamped pear on a muslin pocket. I used black fabric paint to color it in and then added a row of black buttons underneath for added embellishment. This half-apron style seems to have been one of the most popular lengths worn in the '60's. This cotton fabric is a ticking design with art deco flowers of orange, mustard and yellow. The band is a left-over orange and beige check fabric. The ties are also in solid orange.

Blue Denim and Red Bandana

This denim and bandana apron is a hoot. The scallops are trimmed with bias bandana fabric as well as a bias strip across the band. The pockets are gathered at the top with the same bias trim. I added charms dangling from beads on each pocket. The paisley-shaped bandana images look somewhat like boots from a distance. This was a total surprise. How about wearing this to a bar-b-que?

Rick-Rack, Ribbon & Buttons





On a muslin base, I used decorative rick-rack from my Stash. I sewed on one layer, then lined it with muslin after all the trim had been applied. The final embellishment was white shirt buttons scattered between the decorative rows. The trims drew the muslin up causing a rippled effect. At first I was dissappointed, but now I really like the look. I hope you enjoy this step back into the past, also.


Luau Hostess Apron

This one was my first fun time with a new fiber-related venture. With a half-apron style, I used fabric from a wild pair of garage-sale pants. The over-skirt is turquoise tulle, embellished with red silk roses. The band has an overlay of lace accented with turquoise glass beads. I used red taffeta for the ties in the back. I thought the dressform looked quite stunning with the Barbara Bush style beads from the '60's.